


when earth aligns

by Mansion



Category: The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 03:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3472190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mansion/pseuds/Mansion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So you're stuck in your own past and maybe not as chuffed about it as you usually are. Buck up, buddy, at least you aren't alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	when earth aligns

**Author's Note:**

> Never start shipping a crack pairing, kiddoes. You'll eventually become Very Sincere about it. This follows the shared headcanon that Jib secretly tagged along Jim's temporal trail when he blasted to the past in The Once and Future Thing.
> 
> Please see "late nights and sleeping aliens" by piedpiper for more in this vein, and thanks to her for betaing and headcanon fodder.

Funny how the stars looked so small while standing on the earth. Small, and finite. When you were actually in space, the void was crystal clear in all directions. Here, there were just the same constellations, peeking through clouds and smog, washed out in moonlight. 

Planes moved across the sky, little red lights tracking long lines. Just airplanes. Wouldn't take them longer than a day to go anywhere in the world.

Earth was so small. Bigger than Mars, but so crowded and bustling, everyone's eyes focused downward. Folks got on, sure, everyone contributing to a future he was proud to have lived in, but sometimes it all felt too tight around him.

"Jaaaaaaaaaames," Jib whined, breaking Jim out of his reverie.

"Yeah, babe?"

"I didn't take you up to the roof to 'look at the stars' to actually look at stars." Jib was in his natural form, which happened to be Jim's favorite. Not that he wasn't fond of the twinkly-eyed mustachioed number his boyfriend donned in public, because he absolutely was. But there was no denying Jib looked good in purple.

Jim batted his eyelashes, the picture of innocence. "Whyever'd you haul me up here then?"

Jib gestured vaguely at the blanket, then the air in general. "Um, hello, I've replicated a primo high quality human romance scenario for my dumb boyfriend who's been all sulky for the last two days--and shut up, yes you have been--and I expect to be rewarded with sloppy makeouts."

"Thoughtful of you."

"Right? I did sooo much research on human romance. Grueling work. Frankly I'm exhausted."

"That what you're calling watching all those soap operas?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

Jim smirked and leaned in, then paused. "Y'know, Jibs, just cause you done up a whole scene and got a bottle of wine don't necessarily mean you're actually gonna get kissed for it."

Jib pouted and laid a hand on his chest, presumably over one or several of his hearts. "Cactoid James Lyons-Janeen, you know I am only down with consensual monogamous smooching now. For some reason. Some tall handsome reason. So I am nobly using the lowest form of coercion: bribery. And asking."

"Back up a sec. I ain't taken your name."

"Just trying it out. It sounds good, right?"

"It's got a ring to it," Jim admitted, and moved in to kiss him.

Jib never really got any... less so in private, but sometimes there were moments where he was soft for a second, something under the outer shell opening up.

Probably not something literally opening up, but maybe. Jim had been around the galaxy enough not to judge too much either way.

Jib was a damned good kisser, if a bit overwhelming. He took an interest. He modified strategies based on results. He could do really interesting things with his tongue.

But right then, he was just gentle, fingertips brushing through Jim's hair. He tasted a little like ozone when he was in his natural form, like the air after a lightning strike. Otherworldly.

Jim loved that. And, quite possibly, nearly certainly, Jib himself. 

Funny that. How he'd gone back to the time in which he felt least at home, away from all the marvels of the future, and ended up in the most stable relationship he'd had for years with a fugitive Jupiterian from the 31st century anyway. Goes to show you, probably.

Jib crawled into his lap, the kiss deepening.

The bottle of wine got kicked over at some point, and rolled until it smashed on the patio below. Neither of them gave it a second thought.

Later, when they were both out of breath and laying tangled together on the blanket, Jim scanned the sky again. Mars was easy enough to find. Somewhere up there were the rest of the Gray Martians, he supposed. The future coming wouldn't be easy, but things tended to turn up how they were meant to be, in his experience. Maybe this was how it was always written, anyway.

"Shame we can't see Jupiter right now," Jim commented idly.

Jib, unexpectedly, shrugged. "Home is where the hearts are, Jimbo," he mumbled against Jim's collarbone.

"Guess it's right here, then." He hugged Jib a bit closer, and when he thought about the future again, it wasn't The Future he was thinking about. No, it was a bit closer to home.


End file.
